What runs under Rochdale could soon help warm much of the town above it.
Rochdale Borough Council says the Greater Manchester town plans to use heat from its sewer system to help warm its hospital, schools, leisure centre and homes, while cutting pollution and energy costs.
The council has announced plans for a sewer heat recovery network that would deliver 28 gigawatt-hours of low-cost, low-carbon heating to key buildings in the town centre.
The project has secured £1 million, or $1,344,000, through the United Kingdom government’s Green Heat Network Fund, and work is scheduled to begin in 2029 as part of the town’s ongoing regeneration.
According to Rochdale Borough Council, heating accounted for more than one-third of the borough’s emissions in 2023.
After comparing two possible heat sources, planners selected a town-centre sewer source heat pump system as the preferred option, the council said.
The system would use heat exchangers and a heat pump to capture thermal energy already present in wastewater.
The council said an energy centre is planned for the current Mecca Bingo car park near Number One Riverside.
Rochdale Borough Council said the technology is still relatively new in the United Kingdom, but wastewater heat recovery is already operating at more than 500 sites worldwide.
The newly announced funding comes through the government’s Warm Homes Plan and, the council said, is intended to improve homes, lower energy costs and address fuel poverty.
“The scheme is a key part of Rochdale’s town centre regeneration and is expected to create jobs and apprenticeships, while the significant grant will help us deliver a low-carbon heating system that will cut bills and CO2 emissions, improve air quality and provide energy-efficient heating for public buildings, including the town hall, leisure centre, art gallery, museum, schools, Rochdale Infirmary, police station, social housing, businesses, and other nearby buildings,” Councillor Tricia Ayrton, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for climate change and environment, said in the statement.
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